Screenwriter Derek Haas Talks ‘Wanted 2′ Script
Rob Frappier wrote:Screen Rant: Wanted 2 has been in some form of development now since 2008, going through several writer and cast changes. How did you and your writing partner Michael Brandt get involved in the franchise again?
DH: We really wanted to work on it following the first film but didn’t get the chance to, for various reasons. We got a call from Universal a month or so ago asking if we had interest in returning to the WANTED world and we leapt at the chance.
You told The Wrap that the sequel would pick up with the Wesley character several years after the events of the first film. What has Wesley been doing for the last few years? Also, because the first film’s narrative was driven by Wesley’s character arc from loser to bad ass assassin, how will the sequel be different now that he understands his abilities?
Good questions. We’d tell you, but then we’d have to curve a bullet through your head from two miles away.
On Twitter, you said that your draft of Wanted 2 wouldn’t feature the Fox character or the “Loom of Fate.” What elements of The Fraternity will return for the second film? Will the four other chapters of The Fraternity from Mark Millar’s original graphic novel play a role in the new movie? Also, given that the organization is supposed to be 1,000 years old, will you draw on the history of The Fraternity for the screenplay?
I think I’ve said too much already. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t even like to watch trailers because I’d rather the whole film be a surprise when I walk into the theater. This movie is going to introduce some new characters to the WANTED world while staying grounded. We tried to do that in the first one, and we’ll try to do it here. In the first movie, the mantra was “kill one, save a thousand.” We’re going to turn that on its head.
Timur Bekmambetov’s over-the-top action sequences were one of the main reasons that Wanted was a huge hit at the box office. Not knowing whether Bekmambetov will return for the sequel, will you be writing action sequences differently to match the director’s unique visual style?
I am going to wrestle that Russian maniac into Universal and make him direct this one again.
Obviously, your job is to turn in the best draft of the screenplay you can write, but what else do you know about the film’s development schedule? If Universal loves your screenplay, what else needs to fall into place to get Wanted 2 on the big screen?
If you tried to game out all of the “what ifs” on how a movie gets to screen, you’d drive yourself insane. All you can do is write the screenplay you’d want to see on the screen, and hope that everyone else shares that vision.
